Jindal: Is he or isn't he?

"Let me be clear, " Gov. Bobby Jindal said to the folks at Fox News last week. "I have said in every private and public conversation, I've got the job that I want. And I'll say again on air: I'm not going to be the vice presidential nominee or vice president."

So there you have it. Question answered. Clear as day, right?

Not quite.

Rather than put speculation to rest, Jindal's comment -- which came as John McCain was planning a mysterious visit to Louisiana amid heavy chatter that he poised to choose a running mate -- set off a new round of confusion.

For days, the political world was atwitter over whatever it is that Jindal was trying to tell us, which was either exactly the same as what he's said countless times before, or entirely different, depending on who you believe.

It boils down to two mutually exclusive options:

One: Jindal definitively took himself out of consideration to join McCain's ticket.

Two: Jindal simply predicted that he wouldn't be chosen.

On the one hand, Fox, the network with the closest ties to the Republican establishment, trumpeted Jindal's statement as a definitive announcement, and several other news organizations and pundits echoed that interpretation.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, one of Jindal's most vocal backers for the spot, told lawmakers from across the nation gathered in New Orleans that "my first choice unfortunately withdrew yesterday -- Gov. Jindal."

McCain started dropping other names.

And Jindal alluded to private conversations, hinting that he'd sent a back-channel message to McCain.

But there were also plenty of reasons to think otherwise.

The Louisiana GOP kept the story alive by circulating some enviable poll numbers showing that Jindal has nicely recovered from the legislative pay raise debacle, and seems to be one of the few genuinely popular Republicans in America.

After the interview aired, press reports quoted anonymous sources close to the governor saying he had not formally withdrawn.

And Jindal spokeswoman Melissa Sellers said that Gingrich and Jindal had not spoken, suggesting the ex-speaker got his information second-hand, perhaps even from Fox.

The folks in the national press may not have figured it out yet, but Jindal chooses his words as carefully as any politician around. He knows exactly what he's trying to communicate, and he knows how to deliver even his most noncommittal lines with deceptive decisiveness and utter consistency.

In fact, offered the chance to further clarify her boss's clarification, Sellers declined.

"Again, I have to refer you to what the governor says, " she said, once again launching into his oft-repeated refrain: He will not be the vice presidential nominee, he has the job he wants, he's got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change Louisiana, and so on.

But most telling of all, Jindal never uttered the magic words that candidates who really, truly, clearly take themselves out of the running say: 'If asked, I will not serve.'

And really, why would he?

Jindal is a master practitioner of the "aw shucks, who me?" school of politics. He knows how to create the impression that he's just minding his business, when in fact he's lobbying behind the scenes.

And his current stance allows him to live in the best of both worlds. If McCain picks him, he'll look like he's sacrificing his own desires to answer a higher calling. If not, nobody will think he tried and failed. And by leaving things up in the air, he remains very much a part of the conversation.

All of which makes this a no-lose proposition for Jindal. Which is about the only thing about it that's clear.

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Stephanie Grace is a staff writer. She may be reached at (504) 826-3383 or at sgrace@timespicayune.com.